Tuition Increases Going for Education? What a novel concept...

Other states have been more subtle in their budget balancing attempts.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is in the first year of a four-year tuition increase plan aimed at improving quality. In addition to statewide tuition increases of about 5.5 percent, in-state students at UW-Madison will pay an extra $250 a year each year.

This year, tuition went up by $617 to $7,296 or about 9.2 percent, but financial aid increased at the same time.

Still, few are complaining because the extra money -- $100 million in the first four years and $40 million each year afterward -- is reserved for providing more classes, improving student services and increasing need-based financial aid.

I am concerned that tuition is being jacked up at the U of M to support activities other than education. More transparency in this area is called for. How much does it cost to educate one undergrad at the U for one year? And I am not talking about the number you get when you divide all the money spent in a year at the U by the number of students...